Swimming Through the Ashes of Another Life
by Yiku Mitsui Briefs Jaganshi
Summary: Rated for violence, gore, and brief language. It's about Yoko Kurama's life, how he got his rose whip, Kuronue...Songfic to "45" by Shinedown. Non-Yaoi, and please review!


Yiku: Yo, guys. It's just Yiku...out of lines, hangin' out.  
  
Kyo: What are you doing?  
  
Yiku: I'm gonna attempt to do another fic.  
  
Tsume: What about? And damn it, why the hell am I here?!  
  
Hiei: Get used to it, once she drags you in, she'll never let you out of her grasp.  
  
Yiku: Yeah, sounds about right. Anywho, I was about to type this as a songfic to "45" by Shinedown, in fact, I had already typed most of it according to the lyrics, but I soon found that they wouldn't correspond well. But! I like the ideas that I got, so this shall remain. I might do it as a songfic later.  
  
Hiei: Oh no, who's featuring?  
  
Yiku: Kurama.  
  
Kurama: o.o! I?  
  
Yiku: -nods- Yes, yes. I wonder what Sheba will think...Anywho, GO!!  
  
Disclaimers: I own naught!  
  
Story Title: Swimming through the Ashes of Another Life  
  
(A/N: Yes, this is back in the days of Yoko, before the bounty hunter dude killed him, and such.)  
  
(A/N: Hah hah hah! I couldn't help myself! Tis a songfic for you all! Mwahahahahaha!)  
  
The trees in the forest bristled against one another as the two sprinted through them. There was a taller man, who had the features of a fox, and he held something, as though it were sacred, against his chest. Around him, he could hear the shouts of small, but angry crowds, he could see their figures blurred by the passing briar patches and bamboo trees. They were closing in on the two thieves. The demon looked behind him at a smaller boy, whose silver ears were perked up in alarm, for he had never been exposed to this brand of action before. The boy was trailing, and the man reached out his arm, still running. "Come on, Yoko, we've gotta keep going!"  
  
The boy gritted his teeth, clutching the artifact tightly in his hand, but managed to grab hold of the man's hand. Instantly, his feet were brought up from under him, and he sailed slightly in the air, avoiding all of the extending branches.  
  
[Send away for a priceless gift...one not subtle, one not on the list...]  
  
They continued on like this for a bit, until they were abruptly halted just outside of the jungle-like environment. Yoko was dropped onto the ground, skinning his knees on the rough terrain, but looked up at what had caused him to fall. The man stood in front of about five demons, all were larger than he. Yet, he was unafraid, and stood up to them, asking in a low, hollow voice, "What do you want?" It was more like a statement.  
  
One of the ogres stepped forward, laughing before he spat near where the boy sat. He then gestured toward the artifact that the man held. "We'd like it if you gave that little beauty back to us."  
  
The demon stood there, unmoving. He stared up into the ogre's eyes, with the intensity of the strongest demon alive, then slowly moved his hand to his long hair. He soon held out a single rose. "Go ahead. Try and take it", he prodded, desire coating his voice.  
  
The beast smirked evilly. "Have it your way!" he cried, as he extended his arm, revealing a giant axe. The boy, being quite young of age, gasped as his golden eyes widened. He was sure that the man was already done in, but heard the grotesque sound of ripping flesh.  
  
[Send away for a perfect world...one not simply, so absurd...]  
  
When he looked closer, he saw that the beast was on the ground, mangled cruelly, and clearly dead. The boy was awed by this, never seeing something be killed before his own eyes, and was deeply disgusted by it, even more so than what he had expected. His attention was brought back to the man by the crack of a whip, the rose now gone. The man had a different look in his eyes now, a look that the boy had never before seen occupy them: Happiness, amusement, and malice.  
  
On the way back home, they walked, not in a hurry anymore since their pursuers were all incapacitated. Their trek was a silent one, which really wasn't unusual. Finally, the boy asked, "Why did you kill all of them? Half of them didn't even have any defense. Why did you do it?" His voice was small, and he didn't know what reaction to expect.  
  
The man peered down at him, a look of confusion replacing the horrifying look of glee on his face. He then threw back his hand and laughed greatly. "Oh, then you'd have it so that they would bother us again? Besides, it's their own faults if they cannot protect themselves. I did them a favor, their deaths were quick and painless."  
  
Yoko looked out ahead of him, taking in what he had been told. It was true, indeed it was, that all beings have the responsibility of self-defense. But, did that necessarily make it right to kill them? He asked the man this, and was immediately thrown onto his back, landing on a sharp rock, a growing pain in his temple.  
  
The man towered over him. "Stop this sentimentality, boy. You are Yoko, hence you are a demon. You make me sick, you dishonor your family, because you act like a human. Or worse, you act worse than those miniscule little heathens. Stop worrying about other people, or else you'll never make it in this world, let alone any other. You will learn how to steal things without killing anyone, if that's what you really want", he scolded, but with the last sentence, he had quickly changed the tone in his voice.  
  
[In these times of doing what you're told...You keep these feelings, no one knows...]  
  
Wincing, the boy stood up, but did not dare show weakness in front of him. He merely took up what he had stolen, and began walking again.  
  
As time passed them, Yoko was starting to mature. He frequently trained, and the same man would take him along when burgling major places, or when he needed a hand. But, not once would the boy kill any of them. But, as time went on, he began to not be as concerned with watching the bloodbaths before him, the only weapon of any use being that rose that turned into the lashing weapon.  
  
After one mission, they went back to their home, quickly hid the stolen goods, and Yoko began to build the fire. The man went into the corner, and began to skin the dead animal with a knife-like item (A/N: Eww.). Silence was alive in the air, until the man's ears perked up. Yoko tensed as the man walked toward the door, and he said, "Yoko, stay inside. Be quiet and don't move at all", taking out his rose.  
  
The boy crawled over toward a small window toward the ground, unable to get to his feet. He heard it, too, and felt his stomach lurch terribly: It was the sound of rapid footsteps, coming toward them. Yoko concealed his energy level knowingly, while the man nodded, but did not even glance downward. Instead, he took a step outside.  
  
Unable to see anything, Yoko huddled behind the wall, remaining undetected and unseen while he listened. The footfalls had stopped, and there was a frightening silence ensued. That kept for about five minutes until he heard the man shout out, "What business do you have here?" What had scared Yoko was the slight shake in the man's voice.  
  
Another voice spoke. "You are the legendary bandit Yoko, aren't you? I thought so."  
  
"Another bounty hunter? Feh, you all are pestilence."  
  
It sounded like there was going to be more, when suddenly, he heard the all- too familiar cry of death. But, it was not the bounty hunter's voice: It was the man's.  
  
[What ever happened...to the young boy's heart...]  
  
For a moment, the boy, Yoko, sat, holding his same position against the wall, frozen by fear. He had never feared the man's ability to deal with bounty hunters, except for now. The reality sank in when the man had not come back in yet, and so the boy got up, stupidly, probably, and looked out of the door, his golden eyes instantly filling with his foreign enemy: Tears.  
  
There the man lay, the idol of Yoko's life, the man that brought Yoko everywhere, covered in his own blood. It took Yoko a moment to even notice that it was his face. Yoko ran to him, and pulled him up, crying his name. The man twitched, and lifted his hand wearily. He coughed blood onto Yoko's clothing before saying, "Stupid boy...I told you to stay...inside..."  
  
"Stop talking like that! I've got to get you help!" he said hurriedly, but the man rested his hand on his.  
  
"No, Yoko...you take care of this asshole." He coughed more blood before continuing. "Remember...everything I taught you..."  
  
The boy bit his lip, fighting back the urge to actually cry in front of his dying mentor. The man was quiet, until he reached his hand beside him, taking the rose from the ground. He held it up to Yoko. "Here...this will be...your weapon. Don't disgrace it...and kill all of your opponents with it. And Yoko...don't weep for me...I told you, you foolish little brat...that you can only care about yourself in this life...don't give a damn about...anyone else..." And then he was gone.  
  
"FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the boy cried out helplessly as he embraced the corpse, but still refused to cry.  
  
[Swallowed by pain...as he slowly fell apart...]  
  
But, instead of the grief of losing his father, Yoko lifted his head, a new fire inside of him. He quickly got to his feet, taking the rose up in his hand. He glared at the trail of the bounty hunter, and wondered how far he had gotten. If Yoko left now, he'd probably catch him...and the fox demon ran off, without a second glance at his father, and he knew what he had to do now.  
  
In no time, Yoko had caught up to him, and with this fire burning inside of him (maybe it was rage), he didn't waste time as he flung out his newfound rose whip rapidly. He leapt out in front of him, and lashed the whip out and around the man's neck, strangling him. Yoko yanked harshly on it, causing blood to spurt out from the throat, and twisted the blunt piece around his hand. Once the bounty hunter was close enough, he could see that the face was contorted in pain. He smirked as he continued to squeeze the hunter's head, and it finally imploded, as his eyes exploded outward, and onto Yoko's face.  
  
[And I'm staring down the barrel of a Forty-five...  
  
Swimming through the ashes of another life...]  
  
He relished in the fact of his first successful kill. He found himself finding pleasure in the suffering of the kill, and to his own surprise, did not mind it as much as he had when he had watched his father kill all of those demons.  
  
With his work here finished, he turned the whip back into a rose, and stuck it in his hair, in honor of his father. He turned and walked to his home. He wasn't sure why he had expected his father to be there, awake, and ready to congratulate him on killing the bounty hunter.  
  
Unfortunately, bird-like creatures had already began their feasts on the body, but Yoko shooed them away quickly, to look upon the body. He dragged it inside, and lit a fire with some flint and a stone. As he dashed the rocks against one another, he studied his father, and it finally dawned on him why his father had acted so detached from his son: It was to protect him. His father literally tried to beat it into him, but it had come too late. Yoko senior knew that he was going to die, he knew the number of demons after the money on his head, and didn't want his only son to be pained.  
  
_Tough luck, Father, but your yearning to protect is as dead as you are. I finally understand now that you loved me, though despised me. So, I will honor your memory, by not making your first mistake. And that was ever having me as your son.  
_  
[No real reason to accept the way, things have changed...  
  
Staring down the barrel of a forty-five...]  
  
As the flame struck, Yoko quickly escaped the shack, and walked away from it while feeling the fire burn against his back. He did not turn back around to look at it, to take it in, because he was all alone, and he had to act like it now.  
  
But, still, the pain engulfed him, as he felt himself slowly fall apart within him. At night, while resting from his wanderings, his heart would wrench in emotional un-preparedness for his father's death. Sometimes, his father would come to him in dreams, taunting him, and mentally beating him. He soon took his dead father's advice, and took up being a bandit again, this time always precise.  
  
That was when he met Kuronue.  
  
[Send a message to the unborn child...Keep your eyes open, for a while...]  
  
After about 30 years (A/N: Keep in mind, demon years go by much quicker, hence Kurama's age of 300 some odd years. Moving on! And no, I don't know if Kurama actually got his rose whip that young.) back in the business that he had grown so fond of, Yoko was met up by another demon, which had the same skills as he. He addressed himself as Kuronue, and posed the question if Yoko would like to team up with him.  
  
Yoko snorted. "Partners, you mean?"  
  
Kuronue nodded, not bothering to take any offense to Yoko's uncaring disposition. "Yes, we'd double the chances of making any profit, and we can split them fifty-fifty", he tried to explain, persuade.  
  
An silver eyebrow raised. "Fifty-fifty?"  
  
"Unless you're generous enough to make it Sixty-forty, and I get the majority", he said, looking away.  
  
Yoko liked this style. It was similar to his own. "Alright, I guess we can", he said, extending his hand, an alien gesture.  
  
Kuronue took and shook it. "Good. Maybe we can be friends, even."  
  
Yoko laughed to the side. "Friends? We're partners, and the only thing binding us together is the oath of partners: Look out for each other, and divide the profits evenly."  
  
He shook his head. "Such is the oath of friends as well..." he mumbled. He turned to face him. "What is your name?"  
  
"Yoko", he answered, twitching involuntarily.  
  
His eyes widened. "Yoko, the Legendary Bandit? But I heard-"  
  
He was cut short by the tree he was leaning against being chopped down, by a green, thorny whip. Yoko brought it back into his hand, his golden eyes turning deadly again. "If you value your life, you will cease talking about that immediately. Am I clear?"  
  
Surprisingly, Kuronue never flinched, but he rested his hand on his own weapon. "Clear enough, Yoko, clear enough", he said just as coldly.  
  
They would get along quite well.  
  
[In a box, high upon the shelf...left for you, no one else...]  
  
The duo's skills mashed better than what Yoko had expected. They had been together for about 20 years before Kuronue suggested that Yoko change his name. "Why should I?" he asked, curious.  
  
"Well, you're a pretty big threat, and people everywhere are starting to know your name. If you change it, then people will forget all about Yoko", Kuronue said.  
  
He thought about it for a good while, before nodding. "Not a bad idea. Got a name in mind?"  
  
"Kurama was the name of my father. You remind me of him."  
  
Yoko swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. He smirked. "Thanks", he said.  
  
And from that moment, Kurama realized, and began considering that Kuronue was his friend, his first and only.  
  
The two planned on making the biggest heist in their partnership. They were going to storm the King's castle, and steal two artifacts from it. Kuronue said that it had always been his dream to thieve it, and Kurama grew more anxious the more Kuronue had talked about it.  
  
Kuronue tapped Kurama's shoulder. "Do you want to do it tonight?"  
  
Yawning, he replied, "Yeah, tonight will work fine." He then indicated the pendant around Kuronue's neck. It had always been there; he had never seen Kuronue take it off. "What is that?" he asked.  
  
Kuronue's hand went immediately to the pendant. "Heh, I've never quite known. All I know is that my mother gave me this when I was a little child, and I've never taken it off", he said.  
  
Kurama nodded. "Anyway, let's go on and take care of it."  
  
[There's a piece of a puzzle known as life...Wrapped in guilt, sealed up tight...]  
  
That night, they broke in successfully, and got a hold of what they wanted. The bell rang in alarm, and they nodded to each other before running out of the building and out into the forest. Kurama held his artifact proudly before they began to sprint through the bamboo forest.  
  
The more they ran, the more Kurama recognized that this was the forest that he and his father had run through to escape the guards the night that Kurama witnessed his first death. Had he the time, he would've studied it closely, so see if he could find any trace of it. But, Kuronue was behind him, and that kept him going.  
  
Suddenly, Kuronue felt something cut across in front of him. He dodged backward, but his pendant was cut. He tried to catch it, but it flew from between his fingers and into the brush. He leapt off of the next tree, and began running back. Kurama landed on his feet, and turned around sharply. "No, don't! Kuronue!"  
  
"I need it!" the bandit cried from far away as he sprinted back.  
  
Kurama cursed under his breath, and started to go to him, but he hurt Kuronue scream out, and was shocked to see that he had been captured. "Kuronue!!"  
  
"Never mind me, Kurama! Go, RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!!!" he bellowed.  
  
All Kurama could do was look on as a bamboo stick came down, and punctured Kuronue's neck.  
  
[Whatever happened...to the young man's heart?]  
  
Kurama ran back quickly to the cave where Kuronue and he had claimed it as home, and fell to his knees. He refused to cry, though, let alone let any tears build up. He had tried to take his father's advice, and was successful in letting Kuronue stay out of his heart. But, eventually, it had occurred to him that Kuronue was his friend, and had found his way into Kurama's soul.  
  
_Father...are you happy? I've lost another, and now I'm alone again. But, I won't make the same mistake as last time...I'll be stronger than before, and won't let anyone get even close to my soul.  
_  
[Swallowed by pain...as he slowly fell apart...]  
  
The next morning, Kurama took his rose and left the cave, not bothering to go and look for Kuronue, but to go somewhere else. Besides, there were still many codes to break, and vaults to sneak into, and Kuronue would want him to continue doing what he loved to do.  
  
It was quite some time since Kuronue had died, and Kurama was handling it quite well. His skills as a bandit had improved greatly, and soon his name was feared amongst the Makai. He loved it. There were very few demons that actually came to seek him out, and those fools were never heard from again. He had heard rumors that a bounty had been placed on his head, but his name was Yoko, and he discarded the option of going into hiding just because someone was after him for money.  
  
[Everyone's pointing their fingers.... Always condemning me...]  
  
Kurama soon became bored. He had not had a decent challenge in so long, so was getting a bit out of shape. His rose was growing tangled in his growing silver hair from not using it in over ten years. He was now about 300 years old.  
  
On his last burglary, he had stolen a precious gem from the vault of a very wealthy man. Surprisingly, Kurama had gotten away in an even shorter time than when he was with anyone. It felt good, and he savored his moment of glory. Alas, it was a short one.  
  
When he was on his way to the next seal he knew, something sharp streaked across his left cheek from behind. Not turning around, he slowly reached his hand up to his rose, then quickly yanked it out, creating the whip, and lashed it behind him. The attacker leapt in front of him, unscathed, and immediately threw a dagger at Kurama. The demon caught it, and threw it to the ground. "You're another bounty hunter, aren't you?"  
  
He smirked. "That's right, and I'm the first one to finally cause Yoko the Bandit to bleed. Now, if you'll just remain calm, I'll end your pathetic life quickly and painlessly."  
  
Kurama laughed. "But, you won't be the first one to get killed by me", he said, reaching into an inner pocket and taking out a seed.  
  
He kept it hidden within his palm, but lashed his whip again at the bounty hunter. While distracting him, Kurama flicked the seed with his thumb to enter his opponent's chest cavity. Luckily, the bounty hunter didn't notice, but flung a smaller weapon, a bladed stick, into Kurama's shoulder. The weapon stuck, and Kurama fell to his knee.  
  
Kurama cursed himself. _Damn it, this is a skilled one...  
_  
He got to his feet, and looked at the seed that was implanted in the bounty hunter's chest. He knew that it was at work in there, and that gave him some comfort, as he yanked out the bloody weapon and threw it to the ground beside the dagger. He firmly grasped the rose whip in his hand, and ran at him, managing to wrap the whip around his foe's shoulder, and pulled hard on it, causing blood to splutter (A/N: I like that word...) onto the ground. The bounty hunter cried out in pain, but soon found the strength to pull Kurama closer to hi, and shoved a concealed kunai into his abdomen.  
  
[Nobody knows, what I believe...I believe...]  
  
Kurama's vision doubled as he felt the blade pierce through his flesh and the blood seep through his clothing. It had been the first time he had been stabbed by a bounty hunter, all because he was careless.  
  
Laughing greatly, the bounty hunter pushed him to the ground, and rested the blood-covered blade against Kurama's neck. "I was going to kill you right away, but I think I'll enjoy this kill. I like to listen to my victims scream out for mercy", he said as he rested his foot firmly on Kurama's wounded stomach.  
  
Kurama coughed out blood as his eye twitched. He felt the blade once again go though him, but now it was in his chest. This time, his vision totally left him, but he knew that the seed had had plenty of time to take root, and was confirmed by the sudden screams of the bounty hunter. He smirked before coughing up more blood, as he felt the fool's energy disappear suddenly.  
  
[And I'm staring down the barrel of a forty-five...]  
  
He also felt himself fading away. But, it wasn't his time yet. He still had so much to do, he wouldn't, and he refused to die yet. There was enough energy within him, if he gathered it all, to transport himself into the Human World. The move would be desperate, and he would appear as an infant, most likely, but when the time would draw nigh, he would disappear without a trace. He would remain detached, just as his father did. Not that he would befriend any humans anyway.  
  
Of course, he'd be human now, too, but it didn't matter. Just as long as he kept living. And so, with his remaining energy, Kurama, as he clutched his rose whip, transported himself into the Human World.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, he was in some sort of building. His surroundings were white, and there were people all around him. Strange arms held him, and he felt himself crying. He noticed that he no longer had his fox ears, but human ears on each side of his head. It had worked.  
  
[Swimming through the ashes of another life...]  
  
After he was cleaned, he was wrapped up in a warm, yellow blanket, and a snug hat had adorned his head, and he was being carried to a woman, he noticed. The woman was beautiful, and she took him in her warm arms. He actually felt safe, for the first time, in the woman's arms, and knew that this feeling of security could only come from one's mother.  
  
Faintly, he heard her say, "This is the happiest day of my life..."  
  
A male voice asked what his name would be, and the woman answered, "I'll call him...Suuichi."  
  
Suuichi...that was his name now? He chuckled inwardly, unable to perform the task in his baby human form. He liked the name, he had to admit.  
  
He hadn't realized the weakness of his frail human body, and was quickly falling asleep. And not just the physical condition of it bothered him, but his heart. He found himself loving his mother, and replacing her as the mother he never had. Maybe this was a good excuse to get away from his demon form's coldness, and he could start a new life as Suuichi.  
  
This being his last thought, Suuichi slipped into a peaceful sleep, his first one in over a hundred years.  
  
[No real reason to accept the way things have changed...  
  
Staring down the barrel of a Forty-five...]  
  
-End-  
  
Yiku: Whew! That was a doozy! I've gotta get going! Sorry for the goriness, it freaks me out that I even typed some of the stuff that I did. –shudders-  
  
Review, please!  
  
-Yiku- 


End file.
